Operation: SCARY, Part 2

Chapter 2: Curse of Monsters

Nightmare Land; Customer's Office

"I would like to thank everyone who has participated in this year's Halloween Festival of Fear." Customer Service spoke into his microphone, his voice being heard all around the city. "As per Halloween tradition, we must make everyone's Halloween the best it can be, and that includes us Nightmares. Let us take a moment and remember some of the fine tributes to our holiday throughout history. Such as the classic Charlie Brown special, where Linus tried to see the Great Pumpkin. The Robot Chicken parody of said Halloween Special, where Linus brings the Great Pumpkin to life, and it eats everyone. The Ed, Edd, 'N' Eddy special, Ed, Edd, 'N' Eddy's Boo Haw Haw. Scary Godmother's very own movie, Halloween Spooktacular, along with its sequel, Scary Godmother 2: The Revenge of Jimmy."

"And let's not forget, a world-renowned classic, The Nightmare Before Christmas, starring the Nightmare King's glorious son himself." Customer's voice echoed across the city as Jack Skellington struggled to make his way through crowds of crazy Nightmare fans.

"Jaaack… the halls have never been so haunty without you…" a woman moaned.

"You were cool in Kingdom Hearts!" a child said.

"Yes, yes, that's all very nice, now-" Jack carefully backed up and tried to keep away.

"-and, of course, the videogame sequel to said movie, The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge-" Customer still spoke.

"You OOOZE with greatness, Jack. OOOOZE-" another zombie lady moaned.

"Uh, yes, well, greatness would love to stay longer, but greatness has places to be, so…" As Jack was backed up against a wall, he quickly drew out a green flubber-like whip and yelled, "Soul Robber!", latching it to a building across the street and swiftly swinging away from the fans.

Jack swung into an alleyway and peeked out at the desperate fans before hurrying further along, quickly escaping their vision. As he looked further down into the alleyway, the skeleton could make out the shadow of a woman with long hair. The silhouette of the woman appeared to be facing him. Jack's relieved smile returned to him as he stepped further into the darkness, having a better look at her form. "Finally, somebody who isn't mentally obsessed with me."

"Jack…" The beautiful ragdoll creation of Dr. Finkelstein stepped into the light as Jack took her hands.

"Sally…" Jack stared beautifully into Sally's big, round eyes. "Even in our place of origin, in the depths of space, it's darkness would mean nothing if you weren't around."

"Your father seems very excited this year."

"Aye, that he does. Perhaps due to the great amount of sales he's made lately. Still… my friends in the Spirit KND feel an ominous presence in the atmosphere. They fear dark times are on the horizon."

"Oh, dear. Is it something like what happened 20 years ago?"

"That is what I fear. Regardless, Halloween is here. I must continue what I love and strike fear in the hearts of children!" Jack raised his head up confidently. "The show must go on. There's no use stopping a sacred tradition which has kept our race going for generations. I'll see you later… Sally." And Jack walked away, leaving Sally as she looked at him with a proud smile.

KND Moonbase

After stepping off his throne, Cheren Uno, still dressed as Link, was having a walk around the Moonbase, studying the operatives and seeing what they dressed as. His cousin, Melody was dressed up as a Zora, and her brother, Danny was dressed as King Zora; a fitting costume, Cheren thought. Aurora was dressed as a Charmander, while Francis dressed as Commodore Norrington. Lola and Terry Stork were here; Lola dressed as the Digimon, Lopmon, while Terry was Terriermon. Makava was here as well, and she dressed as Medli the Rito, who was a bird person. Arianna dressed as a flower, and Vweeb sat on her shoulder, dressed as simply a piece of candy. As the Supreme Leader was about to walk off, he was suddenly pushed over when what seemed like a rolling rock rolled over.

The rock stood to its feet, standing on and holding Cheren down as he looked up at who it was. "Lin?"

"Whaddya think?" Lin Beifong asked, wearing a suit of stone attached to her back while her entire front was painted a light brown color. "Pretty cool, huh? I dressed up as one of those Goron things I've been hearing about. I heard they were a tribe of rock people, so I thought, yep: that's what I'm goin' as! I have to say, the paint feels good on my feet."

"How did you get here, anyway?"

"Bumi's old Gummi Ship. I heard about this Halloween thing you guys were doing and I decided to join. So what do think about my costume?" she asked, showing off her side as she still kept Cheren down.

"Looks great. Now will you please get off of me?" Lin did so and allowed Cheren to stand up. When the Uno boy was about to walk away again, he stopped in place and yelped when a black-hooded figure switched out a red lightsaber and nearly swung it to his neck.

"Cheren Uno… submit to the powers of the Dark Side…" the being spoke in a hoarse tone.

"Huh?"

"Haha! Just kidding!" the girl turned and pulled off her hood, revealing to be Nebula, whose skin was painted a pale grey. "Surprise! It's me, Nebula! John Fett let me borrow his red lightsaber, and I'm going as Emperor Palpatine! Whaddya think? I almost got ya, didn't I?"

"Heh, you sure did! I almost thought you were possessed or something."

At the same time, Mason was standing around, looking at other kids' costumes in boredom. "Hoi, Mason!" he turned around at this chipper Australian voice, finding his friend, Sheila wearing a blue shirt with a zipper, blue and white shorts, and painted orange-red.

"Sheila!" he smiled. "What are you supposed to be?"

"Oi'm Conkuh! From Conker's Bad Fur Day!"

"Oh yeah. You look neat!"

"Thank ye, Mate! Oi couldn't decide between this or Rayman, but me mum decided to take the Rayman costume. And check it out: I taped a beer sign over the Purple Flurp can!" She held up said can, showing that it had the Pawtucket Patriot logo taped over it as she proceeded to drink. However, she instantly stopped in her drinking, and studied the soda. "Urp… um… Oi think I mighta grabbed the wrong can."

"Uh, hehe. Hey, you haven't see Lee around, have you? Haruka's looking for him."

"Oi think he an' Leanne are still at home; Dillon's wantin' ta go trick-or-treatin' with 'er, eh?" Sheila replied, still drinking the 'soda'.

"Poor Dillon." Mason said sadly. "Ever since he first got into Halloween, he's been wanting to go trick-or-treating with his dad. But his dad's always busy with his Sandman stuff, so he's always missed out."

Sheila drank a little bit more 'soda', then stopped, wobbling a little as she wore a drunken expression. "Ahh, bloody bloke, urrp's, gonna someday… eh? 'ey, Mason: ya ever notice 'ow, mmmm, Lilac and Berry 'ave cat ears, a-and human ears, too… Oi wonduh, wh-which ones do they use, ah? D-Do they use both of 'em? …A-And wot about me, mm? When Oi hear stuff, which set o' ears hears 'em better, ah? …Oi-oi don't get that, eh?"

"Okay, Kids Next Door, listen up!" Cheren Uno announced as he stood upon his throne, with Lin, Nebula, and Panini standing around him. "There's a lot of really neat costumes being worn today, and it's almost around sunset. Before we all head back to Earth for trick-or-treating, I just wanna remind everybody to return here for the Halloween after-party, where we'll have our annual costume contest. So, grab the last bits of candy you can up here to take home, and until then, have the best Halloween you possibly can!" The kids erupted into cheers as Cheren stepped off his throne.

"Well-p, guess that's our cue to leave." Mason decided, beginning to walk away. "Might as well go meet up with Dillon and the others."

Sheila followed him, still drunk as she said, "A-And wot about our weapons? Hm? W-How can we hold a bunch o' weapons in our pockets when they're so much bigguh? D-Do the weapons shrink or something? A-Are they programmed to do that? Hm? Ahh, you old drongo."

York Household

At hearing a knock at their door, Dillon walked over to answer it, finding Lee and Leanne. "Hey, Leanne!"

"Hey, Dillon!" Leanne was wearing a blue hooded cape, blue boots, a black one-piece swimsuit, and the black mask she bought at the shop. "I'm going as Raven!"

"And I'm Beast Boy." Lee said, his skin painted green, and his hair dyed a darker green.

"Wouldn't that imply you two were dating?" Dillon asked.

"Well, to some extent… buuut…"

"Oh well, we'll just consider ourselves the CHILDREN of Raven and Beast Boy." Leanne decided. "He was actually going to wear a skull mask and be a skeleton, but he thought it was a little cliché. Anyway, you all ready for trick-or-treating? You got your costume ready?"

"Oh yeah! I'll go get it!" With that, Dillon proceeded to hurry up the stairs.

Nolan York watched him leave and spared a glance to Dani and Crystal, who sat on the couch with hopeful expressions. Nolan gave a sigh and called, "Wait, Son." Dillon came back down to look at his father. "Do you mind if I… go with you?"

Dillon's eyes widened. "But… aren't you busy?"

"Yeah, but… I guess it wouldn't hurt to skip ONE Halloween of staking out. Right?" Dani and Crystal nodded at this.

Dillon's excited smile returned. "ALL RIGHT! ! Come on, let's go get our costumes!" With that, Dillon scampered up the stairs.

"Hmph. If you're going trick-or-treating, I might just dress up as an actual witch myself." Crystal decided.

"I'm glad you changed your mind, Nolan." Danika smiled.

"Hehe. Well, I'd much rather hang out with my son than fight the same bad guys over and over. Well, I'll see you guys later. Gotta try and fit in the costume." With that, Nolan rolled his way up the stairs.

The Underworld

The shadowy being and Jack O'Lantern faced ahead as the green portal spiraled before them. "It is time." The shadow spoke.

"Time to teach these kiddies what a REAL Halloween should look like!" Jack exclaimed.

"But vhat of the sun?"

"THAT'S why I have THIS." The pumpkin man pulled out a locket with a moon design. "Behold: the Lunar Locket. One who holds this will have complete control of the moon." He handed the locket to the shadow as he studied it.

"Very good. Now… go, Jack. Unleash the transformation spell. Make sure it touches all corners of the planet. Let this night last forever… and see the sun never rises again."

"Don't worry, Dracy! If anyone knows a good prank, it's JACK." The pumpkin man laughed maniacally as he stepped into the portal, the shadow man, 'Dracy', glaring in his direction.

Heartly Household

While Kami was busy washing dishes in the kitchen, her daughter, Kimaya called, "Bye, Mom, I'm goin' out!"

"What are you dressed as?" Kami asked, turning to her.

"This!" Kimaya wore pink shorts and a pink bellybutton shirt, a pink hat, blond ponytail wig, and had her arms and legs painted brown.

"You're going as Dixie Kong?" Kami asked, raising a brow.

"What? It's a good game."

Kami smiled and chuckled. "Okay, then. Have fun, Sweetie."

As it was everywhere, children were leaving their houses for their night of trick-or-treating, dressed in various costumes. Michelle McKenzie accompanied Sector W, skipping out of her home dressed as a Minish. Lilac and Berry dressed up as dogs, while Rupert Dickson dressed like a cat. Kirie Beatles was dressed like a pink butterfly, and the Gilligan Triplets dressed like the Three Stooges. Even Nigel Uno was getting into the fun; the adult dressed as Avatar Aang, having painted an arrow on his bald head.

York Household

Lee and Leanne waited downstairs for Dillon and his father to come down. In a few moments, Dillon York dashed down the stairs, making a victory pose as he dressed like Robin. "Ta-da!" Out of nowhere, a trumpet victory sound effect could be heard. "Well, come on, Dad! Let's go!"

In a few seconds, Nolan York rolled down the stairs, dressed just like Batman. "Aww, how adorable!" Crystal cooed.

"The adventures of Crippled Batman and Robin." Danika joked, making Nolan blush.

"Heh heh… just like old times. Ready to go, Son?"

"Heck yeah! Come on, guys, let's go!" Dillon dragged Lee and Leanne out the door as Nolan quickly followed them.

Over the next half hour, Nolan and Dillon were trick-or-treating across the neighborhoods of Quahog, along with Lee, Leanne, Mason, Sheila, and Haruka. "Boy, this is awesome! After 10 years, we finally get to spend a Halloween together, Dad!"

"Well, you're growing up so fast, Dillon, I gotta make the most of it when I still can." Nolan smiled.

"Still feels weird having an adult with us." Lee commented.

"Well, he's cool. So, what's wrong with Sheila?" Leanne asked.

"She taped a beer sign over a Purple Flurp and got the two mixed up by accident." Mason replied.

"'ey, 'ow come Dillon l-lives all the way 'ere in Quahog, a-and he still gets put into Sectuh V, i-in Virginia? Hah?" Sheila asked, still drunk. "W-Why ain't he be put into Sectuh Q? HUH?" She drank some more.

"I just hope Crystal and Yuki can do fine without me."

"Ah, come on, Dad! Don't worry about them! They'll be fine!" Dillon said cheerfully. "Heck, for all we know, the bad guys probably got bored by now."

Nolan smiled at his son's positive attitude, but still felt worried for his two allies.

Downtown Quahog

"Ahh, the night is wonderful, isn't it, Yuki?" Crystal sighed as she and Yuki took watch from atop the skyscrapers. While Yuki dressed in his regular superhero outfit, Crystal had her skin painted green, and she wore a black dress, black boots, and black witch-hat.

"Uh-huh. So, why are you dressed like that?"

"Got to get into the Halloween spirit, haven't I? I might not be going trick-or-treating like Nolan, but there certainly will be tricks if any villains show up again. You ever gone trick-or-treating when you were a kid?"

"Not really. Never had the friends to go with. In fact, I'm kind of in the same position as Nolan was. My daughter always feels real lonely, and I never spend enough time with her because of this Coldman stuff. I always wish I can go trick-or-treating with her like Nolan with his son. She can be very- Wait! I see something." Yuki pulled out his binoculars and faced down.

"What is it?"

"There's someone hopping across rooftops." Crystal looked down as a thin, shadowy figure was indeed hopping across skyscraper roofs, holding a scythe-like item. "Let's check this out." Yuki conjured and surfed along an ice path while Crystal rode across with her staff. As the shadowy man ran by, the two took land on the rooftop behind him, and Yuki yelled, "Hey! Who goes there?"

The mystery being stopped, turning to face them as a smirk was visible upon his pumpkin-headed feature, the moonlight shining upon his form. "Who are you?" Crystal asked, her eyes wide.

Rather than respond, the pumpkin man swung his scythe, and Wiccan and Coldman ducked to avoid an air slash. The man turned and continued to run, so Coldman and Wiccan gave chase. The pumpkin swung more slashes from his scythe, but the two heroes ducked as Coldman eventually tackled him to the ground. The man kicked Coldman off of him and stood, making quick dodges as Wiccan tried to bash him with her staff. The pumpkin man attempted to swing his scythe as Wiccan's neck, missing by just a few inches as the witch's eyes widened with fright. Afterwards, Coldman was able to deal a few punches against the pumpkin man, then successfully kicked the pumpkin right off his head, flinging it to the air as the body fell over the building.

The two heroes watched with amazement and wonder as this happened. As the man's head spiraled around in the air, falling to the ground, the body quickly regained composure as it stuck its scythe into the side of the building, scrapping along the way down. When it was near the ground, it pulled the scythe out and kicked off the building, landing on his feet as he ran as fast as he could, successfully catching the head in his hands. Coldman and Wiccan landed down as well to watch the being screw the pumpkin back on its body, still keeping his smirk. "Well, don't want to go through that again."

Wiccan and Coldman glared at the pumpkin man and continued to chase it down the streets.

Back with the others…

"And, ya know, h-how come Nolan and 'is pals 'ave to keep their identities secret, w-when WE know who they are? Hm? A-And why doesn't everybody know? Oi mean, sh-shouldn't Crystal Wickens, a-and Wiccan be obvious? HM?" Sheila drank some more.

"Boy, we have got LOADS of candy!" Dillon exclaimed.

"Honestly, I don't think Sheila should have any for a while. She's looking pretty sick." Haruka said.

"Ahh, whaddyou know, you old… mmm, whatsoever?"

The kids all stopped as screaming was heard in the distance, and Nolan faced ahead toward the town as a pumpkin-headed man was hurrying out with a scythe, being chased by Crystal and Yuki. "Looks like trouble." Nolan said, rolling quickly forward.

"Dad, wait!" Dillon reached out in his direction. He looked down in disappointment. Ditched on Halloween again.

"Don't have time to go back and change costume." Nolan said to himself as he kept rolling. "I guess this'll have to do. Hey, stop!" he yelled to the incoming pumpkin man. Nolan tried to grab him, but the pumpkin man flipped onto the nearest house rooftop and leaped all the others, making Crystal and Yuki nearly run into Nolan. "Guys, what's up?"

"We saw that man jumping buildings." Crystal panted. "We don't know what he's doing."

"Let's follow him." With that, Nolan began latching his grappling hook to rooftops to shoot across as the three heroes gave chase.

Dillon was about to call after him, but held his head down in sadness when he realized it was pointless. "I'm sorry, Dillon." Leanne apologized, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Dillon spared a glance to her and said, "Come on, let's keep going…"

The trio of heroes continued to pursue the pumpkin man as he was making his way downtown again. He kept swinging more slashes from his scythe, but the heroes ducked and kept chase. "Hey, doesn't that look like the Grim Reaper's scythe?" Nolan asked.

"Yeah, but it's colored differently. We'll see what he knows when we grab him." Yuki decided.

The jack-o-lantern head dashed into an alleyway and kicked his way up the walls, easily reaching the top of the buildings. Nolan shot his grappling hook to pull himself up, followed by the others as they once again jumped buildings to chase after him. The man looked back and smirked toward them, using his scythe to conjure a portal ahead and jump inside. The heroes stopped and stared at the portal for a little bit, and the pumpkin man shot out of a portal behind them and shoved Crystal inside the one ahead. "Ahh!"

"Wiccan!" Nolan yelled as the portal vanished. He and Coldman angrily faced the jack-o-lantern, trying to throw punches as he easily dodged them. He laid a few punches and kicks on Coldman before pushing the superhero over the edge, dropping him into a dumpster. Nolan shot his grappling hook to try and latch him, but the man swiftly dodged to the side and let it pass. Afterwards, he ran behind Nolan and grabbed the handles on his chair, swinging him around before sending him flying over a couple buildings, dropping him down another alleyway.

"That's enough playing for now." Jack O'Lantern smirked. "Time for the REAL fun to start." The pumpkin head stood atop the ledge as he gained the town citizens' attention. "PEOPLE OF QUAHOG, LISTEN UP! 'Tis I: JACK O'LANTERN! After more than 20 years of time wasted, I have returned to this world to give to you, THE GREATEST HALLOWEEN IN THE UNIVERSE!"

"YAAAAAY!" the many kids of the city cheered.

"I hope you like the costumes you picked, because you're NEVER taking them off again, EVER!" Jack raised his scythe skyward as dark storm clouds surrounded him.

Spirit of Darkrai, ghost of Dragmire

Make them the creations they so desire

Let the daytime suns never rise again

Let Halloween night be UNTIL world's end!

The clouds spiraled around the pumpkin man as lightning struck down and engulfed his form. A bright beam of greenness launched into the sky, exploding as the clouds all brimmed with the green energy. All around the world, clouds formed, raining tiny specks of the green down across the land. Dillon and his friends studied their sparkling forms as the green specks touched them. Before their very eyes, Mason and Haruka transformed into a tiger and dragon, and Sheila transformed into an actual red squirrel, just like Conker. Kimaya watched as her body transformed into that of an ape's; Dixie Kong's, Aurora turned into a Charmander, and Lola and Terry Stork turned into Lopmon and Terriermon.

Arianna watched as she was turned into an actual flower, Makava sprouted wings as she became a real Rito, and Vweeb shrunk into his costume, becoming a simple piece of candy. As Sector W stared beautifully at the raining greenness, the effects were slowly taking on Anthony, and the Frankenstein child suddenly began moaning and walking like an actual Frankenstein. Michelle felt the effects as well, the child beginning to shrink smaller and smaller until she had the size and body of a Minish. "Eek!"

Fybi and Harvey's bodies poofed and turned into an actual bat and polar bear, and Aranea's angel wings flashed as they began to flap. In a few moments, Aranea was taking to the sky as an angel.

Quahog Graveyard

"Whooa!" Crystal fell out of the open portal and landed face-first into Quahog's graveyard. "Ow…" she stood up and rubbed her face. "Well, that was a rough landing. What's going on?" The woman took notice of the green specks raining down from the heavens. Her eyes focused on a single tiny green speck that was slowly drifting toward her. She squished her eyes together as the green light gently took land on her nose. "Ohhhh…." The witch-clothed woman felt a dizzy feeling overcome her mind, the world becoming blurry around her.

She faced in the direction of the city as the buildings oddly became like that of a drawing. The stars sparkled brightly in the sky as the theme to Bewitched started to play. Crystal watched as another version of herself flew out from the city, sitting on a broomstick as she wore a sparkling grin on her face. Crystal soared around the sky and formed the word 'Bewitched' in sparkling bright letters. She continued to fly as she looked toward the real Crystal, wiggling her nose with a grin. The Crystal witch's expression turned to horror when she suddenly flew into the propeller of an airplane. The wing exploded as a result, and the plane was sent crashing to the ground.

Crystal's eyes began to grow weary, and the woman fell into a deep sleep.

Back in the city

"Gah ha ha haaa! It worked like a CHARM!" Jack O'Lantern exclaimed.

Coldman flew back onto the rooftop, shooting an angered glare. "WHAT did you do?!"

"I just enacted my new plan! It's completely original in every way. I transformed everyone… INTO THEIR COSTUMES! AHH HA HA HA!"

"They already did that on The Simpsons!" a random kid yelled.

"Oh, well, uh…" Jack frowned, "that episode was non-canon! Besides…" his smirk returned, "you're going to get a real kick out of what we have planned!"

"Grrr! Change everyone back!" Yuki demanded.

"You'll have to catch me first! Gah ha ha hah!" Jack excitedly flipped across the rooftops, followed by an angry Yuki.

As they left across the rooftops, Nolan York began to recover from his fall. The man rubbed his head as he stood and lifted his chair up, setting it up right as he was about to sit down. However, the man stopped himself when he felt something funny: his legs suddenly felt very functional. He studied his body and noticed he's gotten a bit buffer. "Turned everyone into their costumes…" The man pieced together what was going on. He looked down into a puddle on the ground, studying the Batman mask on his reflection. Nolan stared with amazement and studied his gloved hands. "I…I'm…I'm Batman!"

Nolan looked in both directions, seeing no one was around as he spoke. "I am…" he raised his fist in victory, "Batmanta!" Trumpet victory music could be heard from nowhere. "…God, I hope no one heard me say that."

"I did."

Nolan flinched, jumping around as a pair of red-green eyes stared from the blackness. "It's been a long time…" The shadow man stepped closer, his form hidden under a pitch-black cloak, jet-black hair on his pale-skinned head.

"Umm… have we met?" Nolan asked.

"Batman… do you not recognize your fellow bat? It is I… Dracula." The man opened his cloak, revealing his dark tux as fangs stuck out from his mouth.

"Y-You…" Nolan backed away in fear in recognition of the vampire.

"Ever since you laid me to rest a second time, I have burned in the fiery depths of Hell, lusting for revenge." Dracula spoke in his dark tone, stepping closer.

"W-Wait! You got it wrong, I'm not Batman. I'm…" Nolan tried to remove his mask, but it was glued tight to his head. "Umm… I'm gonna need some butter or somethin'."

"It is far too late to try and trick me… Bruce Wayne. Never have I desired anything more than blood. Years have a vaited to return, and you banish me to the depths again."

Nolan tried to run away, but Dracula suddenly appeared in his path. "You've done vell in keeping my vork during my absence… but your good-natured soul tampers my legend. But that vill all change very soon…" he grew a smirk, "vonce I drink your blood."

"Not on your afterlife." Nolan grabbed his, er, Batman's grappling hook and shot it upward, latching the top of the building. He hauled himself upward and attempted to run across the rooftops, but Dracula zipped in his path again.

"Becoming a vampire is to heighten the senses. You've seen it yourself as you may have vatched that bloody awful Twilight Saga. How ve vampires run so fast. It is a feeling of freedom."

"Shyeah, except you guys don't have it under the sun. I prefer to work nights AND days."

"You really do not have a choice. I vill drink your blood. You vill become my slave: a Child of the Night!"

I vas vonce the most feared Nightmare around.

Dracula sang as Nolan tried to throw punches, the vampire swiftly dodging.

My fangs sucked the blood of many a neck!

Nolan kicked at his legs, but Dracula leapt right over Nolan, landing behind.

But vhen the new King took the crown

I vas kicked RIGHT out of town!

And I vas sent to the depths, down into HEECK!

Nolan punched at Dracula's chest, but the vampire grabbed his wrist and hurled him across several buildings. As Nolan recovered, he flinched when Dracula appeared beside him again.

But then, out of blue, a miracle hath occurred!

Nolan ran and jumped another building, but Dracula reappeared again.

My heart filled with blood of a penguin man that's absurd!

Nolan drew out his grappling hook and attempted to slice the vampire with it.

But THEN my plan went awry!

When ANOTHER bat caused me to die!

And now look here. What do I see?

The bat has RETURNED to me!

Failing to land a blow against the monster, Nolan decided to try and escape across the rooftops again, the full moon shining bright and large across the sky.

I am the Night! I am the Darkness!

People who see me never pull through!

Sooon, you will kneel

To the VAMPIRE feel!

I am the Night

"I AM YOUR DEATH!" Nolan fell over when Dracula popped in front of him again. The Batman fell off the building, into a dumpster, jumping out as he hurried down a street.

I originally vanted to turn everyone into Children

But NOW a new plot, I vould think better sell!

Nolan looked to the rooftops, seeing Dracula no longer there.

I vill take control of the throne

The Nightmare King will be ALL but alone!

And through the eternal night

The kids'll forever have MONSTER might!

Dracula jumped from the shadows and tried to grab Nolan in his arms, but the man ducked and continued to run.

I am the Night! I am the Darkness!

No one can run from vhat I do!

Revenge vill be sweet

As you BOW to my feet!

I am the Night

"And YOU vill DIE!"

As Dracula gave chase, Nolan quickly turned and swung his grappling hook, which Dracula dodged, and continued to dodge as Nolan swang some more.

I am the Night. I am the doom.

All my Children see nothing but gloom.

NOOOW, it is TIIME

You BECOOME one of MIINE!

Dracula grabbed Nolan's arm and threw him against a car. Before he could recover, Dracula leapt onto Nolan, forcing him against the car. "Now you vill join me, in the ranks of the undead." Nolan struggled to break free as Dracula opened his mouth wide, looming closer and closer to his neck as his fangs were ready to sink in.

But Drac's plans were foiled when Dillon York, dressed up as Robin, swung over with his grappling hook and kicked the vampire into the wall. "You leave my dad alone!"

"So, you have a son now." Dracula observed, fascinated. "Interesting. You vill make an excellent family of Children." Dillon backed away in fear as Dracula hissed and approached him. "Eh?" he sensed another presence and looked to his left. There stood Danika Anderson, holding a cross in one hand and a pack of garlic in the other. "You are a beautiful woman." The vampire smiled and approached the goth woman. "The night is worn magnificently upon your skin…"

Danika aimed her vampire repellents at the monster, keeping him back. "Hehrr… you vill not be taken so easily. Very well. The three of you live. For now. Enjoy your night, Batman. It vill not be long before you are mine." The vampire wrapped his form into his cape, transforming into a bat that flapped its wings and flew into the night. It flew in the direction of the wide full moon, and vanished across the distance.

Danika and Dillon helped Nolan onto his feet, brushing the broken glass shards off his suit. "Nolan. Are you okay?" his wife asked.

"I'm fine. If it wasn't for you or Dillon, he woulda got me."

"Hehe." Dillon grinned and gave a thumbs up.

"What's happenin'?" Yuki asked, hurrying to their side. "Are you guys all right?"

"Everything's good, did you catch Jack?" Nolan asked.

"He got away. But it looks like you found something bigger to worry about."

"Jack's curse and Dracula's appearance have to be related somehow." Nolan deduced. "Let's find Wiccan and try to figure this out."

"If everybody's been turned into their costumes…" Dillon stated with a look of worry, "I'd hate to see what kind of trouble that would lead to. We better be careful." The group of four left the battle site and walked slowly out of the city.